//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: On Dangerous Ground 
// Story: The Unknown Daughter's Reunion:Part 3 
// by Disembodied_Pony 
//------------------------------//

Sitting at a kitchen table, in the village of Hollow Shades; Two mares were having tea together.

Neighbors for many years now; Lotus Patch was entertaining her elderly neighbor Rose Thorn.

As Lotus topped off her tea, she hummed a tune that wouldn't quite leave her thoughts.

The elderly mare's ears perked, and she asked Lotus:

"Where did you hear that melody, if you don't mind me asking?"

Setting the tea kettle down, Lotus replied:

"In a dream, strangely enough."

Her curiosity peaked, Rose beckoned her to go on.  To which, Lotus indulged her older neighbor;

"I'd never had a dream like it before.  In it, was a stallion, a guard...  Ghostly and old.  Wearing an armor I didn't recognize, but was emblazoned with the old equestrian flag, I think"  Lotus said.

"Go on"  Rose urged her, now very interested.

Taking a moment to remember, Lotus went on;

"He sang.  Sang words of secrecy, and of something coming,"
"He wasn't the only one in the dream though.  Joining him in the song were.. princesses.  A group of them."

Pausing to shake the chills from her, she continued;

"First, it was the princess of the night, I think.  Only she wasn't all ghostly like the guard stallion was.  As she sang with him, the... other princesses appeared and joined in; They, all looking ghostly like the guard did."

"By the end of the dream, the ghostly princesses around him... weren't ghostly anymore, but.. Real.  Like they were alive again.  And they looked right at me."

Nodding, Rose replied;

"That sounds a little scary?"

Nodding back, Lotus went on;

"At first, yeah.  But they just smiled at me.  Warm, confident, reassuring smiles..."  Lotus drifted off.

"Yes.. they were, weren't they?"  Rose smiled at her younger neighbor.

Looking at her in surprise, Lotus asked;

"You've had it too, the dream?"

Nodding, Rose confidently replied;

"Mhm, I have.  More than once."

Taken aback, Lotus asked her;

"Then, what does it mean?"

Without hesitation, Rose replied;

"It was a message: That the princesses of old are coming back to us..  In all of my years, only one princess was ever able to craft dreams and walk among them.  The one the rumors say escaped from the dungeons of Canterlot."

Pausing for a sip of tea, Rose continued;

"She's out there.  And if I have the imagery of the dream right, the others are as well.  Though I have no idea how?"

"The others??"  Lotus asked with incredulity.

"I think so.  Why would they first show as ghosts, and then become real?  And then look right into you as if they saw you in the flesh?  So yeah, I believe they're alive."

Pausing to stifle a chuckle, Rose concluded;

"Change is in the air, Lotus.  These darker times are ending, and we best be ready."

Nervously, Lotus warned her with a bit of mirth in her voice;

"Don't say that sort of thing to just anypony.  The guards might come for you, you know?"

Barking a laugh, Rose met the insincere warning head-on;

"Ha, and what could they do to me Lotus; Throw me in a dungeon?  Perhaps rob me of my last remaining few twilight years?  Nay, I invite them to try.  Drag me from my home against my will in front of everypony, in broad daylight.  Let them show everypony how afraid they are of a frail old mare's mere words."

Taking another sip of her tea, she imparted a bit of wisdom to her younger neighbor;

"If they do, they'll expose themselves as the last kind of ponies that should be wielding any power.  I have little to loose by words...  But if they find words to be such a threat, they're already nearly powerless and on their way out.  Like wielding a cardboard shield; Silencing ponies won't protect them from what they really fear."

Wondering what the old mare was meaning, Lotus asked her;

"What are they so afraid of then?"

Bringing her tea cup up high in front of her in a cheering motion, Rose said;

"Loosing their ill-begotten power."

"Ill begotten?"  Lotus asked.

Bringing her cup back down, Rose told her;

"All they have came from us.  Convinced or told that we should hoof it over for our safety or such.  Utter nonsense, just look at what that's done now?  I will tell you this young Lotus; Compared to now... I felt safer, and was much happier, in those so called unsafer times.  We were lied to Lotus, and we believed the lies, for a long time."

Looking into her teacup, she spoke.  Regret tinting her gravely voice;

"We all messed up.  And without even noticing it was happening... until it knocked on our doors.  When the belief in the lies faded, the patrols began."





All across Equestria the dream was had by ponies.  Talks of the princess of dreams was whispered everywhere.  In many, hope bloomed in their hearts, and in a few; terror.

Patrols in the cities spiked.  Ponies that spoke too openly of her, were..  held in custody for their own safety...

Indeed, the older ponies who'd seen and remembered brighter days, and spoke of them, had found themselves being confronted by the current powers that be.

And in the spirit of Rose's shared bravado... 

When they were compelled to leave their homes against their wishes:

Family, and neighbors alike had met the guards with heavy resistance in their attempts to quell the elder ponies.  Riots broke out when an elder was being coerced by the provincial guards.

Inside the Department of Equestrian Civil Order, ponies whom secretly heeded the empress's call; Were quick to pull their forces back and completely abandon the seizures at the slightest resistance.  Taking the heat on behalf of the citizens from their superiors, for failing to quash the situations at hoof.

Meanwhile, reports from informants of clandestine meetings; Found their addresses altered.  Resulting in the Provincial Guards arriving at uninhabited locations, and apprehending nopony.  Subsequently being recorded as false reports.



The tide was shifting.







High up, beyond the sky; The flagship of The StarLight Empire kept orbit.  Flanking it, were many smaller ships; also in orbit.

The dream that all of Equestria being had; Was the brainchild of the empress;

Made reality by the teamwork of her mother, herself, and the cooperation and lent magic of the other princesses.

That, coupled with the technological use of magic amplifiers and emitters: Had sent the message to all ponies in their dreams, without needing to bring the dreams of everypony into a shared dream to send it.

In order to gain the princesses cooperation in this, the empress had divulged how she knew of such tactics and their seedy history...

Indeed, what the empress had proposed to them, disturbed them at first, and somewhat still.  That sewing upheaval from underground was not common nature to pony kind, and they couldn't comprehend how the empress was versed in such ways.

In turn, the empress told them of the masters of such things; What it achieved, and its eventual ending.

For months afterwards, the princesses were intransigent in not accepting her proposal.  However, as time dragged on without a counter proposal, they finally conceded.

The strongest argument that the empress held was that; What was befalling Equestria was going to have repercussions longer lasting than the post-Unification period.

In that, was the period that broken her mother, and left Equestria without one of its princess for a millennia.

Now, while the empress maintained that her mother was hardened by the past experience, and would not fall again; She called heed to the other two princesses, being not.

The princess of Love; Would find undeserved bitter hatred thrust upon her by many few for centuries.
The princess of Friendship; Enemies, working against every effort she would make, for the same duration.

For no reason than their mere presence, and the titles they held.

Just like what had happened two millennia ago when the princesses first rose into power:  Ponies having lost their power, would then work to tear down a princess in retaliation for their loss.  The sentiment seeding generations to come.

Both of the younger princesses would have to bear it all; And throughout that time, they would be risking a fall akin to her mothers.

...the same petty machinations of others, repeating the tragedy anew...

To which the empress would not stand for, for she remembered it all.

That, being the first hard stance they saw the empress make.  A surprisingly sweet one that touched their hearts.

Though, it was an emotion filled debate that had the empress and the princesses nearly physically butting heads, to be sure.  But after they cooled and digested the situation, came to a consensus.

Working through the details, a plan went through many revisions.
A mixture of subtlety and decisive action, brought them to where they were now.





In a small bistro located in Manehatten, the windows were dark.  After the usual hours of operation, it appeared much like the rest of the strip of shops.

At the back door however, the occasional pony came, and was let in.

Walking down to the kitchen located in the basement, well over a dozen ponies had come this night.  Talking to each other to pass the time; they discussed everything from funny anecdotes, to the reason they had come.

In the corner of the room, a pony materialized.  The reception she received was mixed, as foalhood stories were hard to get passed.

Nodding in acknowledgment, she spoke;

"Thank you all for coming this night.  I appreciate your putting off any plans you might have had, in order to be here"  The dark alicorn greeted them.

Sitting down before them, she tucked her wings in to appear slightly less intimidating.

"We all know why we are here.  Something very important brings us together, despite our backgrounds and histories;"  

Pausing, the alicorn went on;

"Though I have changed and grown in many ways, I am here to pull once again on my experience.  Though the irony of what I plan to accomplish, is not lost on me"  She said with a chuckle.

"As you likely know, a very long time ago, when I was a very different creature; I attempted a coup, against whom I now look to lovingly as my aunt"  She began.

"Now, I find myself here; Working to the same effect again.  And with the greatest of irony, that I am working to achieve the opposite ends.  I am here to chase away the darkness that has fallen, and bring the light back into its proper place over Equestria."

Pausing to let the declaration set in, she went on;

"I am not alone in this endeavor this time.  Ponies know that what I am striving for is just.  Winning their trust and faith through many generations; a considerable number of bright and good natured ponies are willing to help me pay my debt to Equestria.  Thus, a display of force in magic is not my power, they are"  the empress concluded.

"So, you don't want to take over as ruler?"  One of the gathered ponies asked.

"Indeed I do not.  I am very proud of my ponies, and they leave me wanting for nothing.  They, having already made my brightest dreams, my reality"  the empress answered humbly.

"Then why bother?"  Another asked.

"What has befallen Equestria is partly the natural result of my actions with the last ruler.  Therefor, this woe is a mark and debt against myself.  One that I am compelled to reconcile.  Also, there is the matter of those whom I love.  They do not wish to see ponies suffer fools any more than I do.  As such, they wish to return.  Pulling from their measurable experience; they are confident that they can undo what has conspired"  The empress answered.

"Who?"  another asked.

"I will begin to answer that question with the admittance that I am not entirely certain why we were favored so..."  the empress paused, taking a deep breath.

"It happens that the powers that be have favored us with their return to us, in the now"  the empress answered.

Seeing their looks of confusion, the dark alicorn took another breath.

"Seeing for yourself will be more effective than any words I could possibly find.."  the empress led.  Putting a hoof to something on her ear she spoke;

"Please send them down, Frame."

Appearing where the dark alicorn had originally appeared; materialized four alicorns.

The gathered ponies were stone silent as the princesses from their dreams stood before them now in the waking world.